


Snow White

by GhostyKitty



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Childhood Trauma, F/M, I don't know, I hope she isn't a mary sue, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Please tell me if she is, tags will show up later i guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-17 22:45:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 19,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14840616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostyKitty/pseuds/GhostyKitty
Summary: Ichihara Chihiro lived a rather sheltered life. Being the sickly genius daughter of a company CEO made her hardly leave home. As soon as she was deemed strong enough to leave she was immediately sent to Kunugigaoka Academy where her father's trusted friend works. Of course, she met some rather infuriating characters along the way.





	1. Chapter 1

When I was six, my father's company grew at a rapid pace.  
When I was seven, my father met Asano Gakuho.  
When I was eight, my father met Asano Gakushuu.  
When I was nine, my father sent me to Kunugigaoka Academy.  
When I was ten, I finished my first code. Father was so proud of me.  
When I was eleven, I finished my second. Father took me to meet Gakushuu.  
When I was twelve, I met Shiota Nagisa. We got along quite well. I learned about my reputation as “Shirayuki”.  
When I was thirteen, I met Akabane Karma.  
When I was fourteen, I was placed in Class 3A. I don’t want to be here.

My head rested on my desk with my arms shielding the bright, fluorescent lights from my tired eyes. ‘This class is so stuffy.’ I thought. ‘I want to be with my friends.’

The soft scuffling of the indoor shoes the school provided signaled the arrival of some more students. I just can’t wait for the-

“Shirayukihime!” A loud nasally voice called. “I need help with this one math problem!” 

-boys from the class over to show up. 

“...” ‘Maybe if I ignore him he’ll go away.’

“Shirayukihime I really need your help with this one!” Another one has appeared. 

“Hey back off!” Student number one yelled. “I was here first!” 

“But my problem is harder than yours! I should go first!” 

‘Just ignore them.’

“There’s no difference in difficulty here!”

‘They don’t exist.’

“Yes, there is!”

‘You’re in bed at home with Akiko’

“First come first serve!”

‘Akiko is on top of you like always.’

“You boys need to shut up and let Shirayukihime rest!” Another one. This time, it’s a girl.

‘Akiko is the only one who-’

“Please be quiet.” A somewhat sultry voice interrupted. “Ichihara-san is trying to rest from a night of hard work studying.”

‘Thank you whoever is up there watching me!’

“Yes, if I remember correctly she stayed up till one working on a new program as well.”

‘Never mind that. Just kill me now.’

“A-Asano-san!” “We’re extremely sorry!”

“It’s fine, just try to not do it again. It would be terrible if something happened to impede on her already poor health.”

The scuffling sound is back again. It sounds more panicked this time.

“Chihiro, it’s time for you to get up.” Gakushuu placed his hand on my head. I tucked my head further into my arms. “Chihiro.” He warned.

“I want to go home and sleep.” I murmured. I could hear him sigh. 

“There’s no point in you going home because we both know you won’t sleep.” It was my turn to sigh. “Come on.” He coaxed. 

“Fine.” I lifted my head and rearranged my bangs so they looked neater. 

“Good,” Gakushuu smirked. “Make sure you thank Sakakibara for stopping them before they could continue.” I looked away and nodded. Just then the bell rang, signifying that a new day has begun.

‘I hope something interesting happens today. But, nothing ever really does.'


	2. Chapter 2

_Ding dong ding dong_

The sound of bells awoke me from my semi-slumbering state. Whatever the teacher had been teaching was wiped off the board and it was time for lunch. While people stood to head for the cafeteria, I shoved my class materials and books into my desk before plopping my head down. I’ve been having so much trouble sleeping at night that it’s been a wonder for me to stay up during class. 

I let myself drift off into the world of dreams, just tuning out the sounds of the everyday world.  
\---

“You have another fever?”  
“You really need to take better care of yourself Chihiro-chan.”

Their voices rang through my mind. Voices I haven’t heard in awhile.  
\---

My eyes shot open. I was no longer in the classroom of 3A. The plain white walls and curtain hanging from the ceiling were quite familiar, in fact. I was lying in the infirmary. Someone, most likely Gakushuu, must have carried me here. I looked at the watch on my wrist.

3:42 pm

A sigh escaped my lips as I slowly sat up and pulled my grey blazer and black tie off the chair they were resting on. “He must have taken it off for me.” I mumbled. With a sigh I opened the curtain surrounding the bed I was resting on and walked over the the tall mirror standing in the corner. My pallor was better than it was this morning, and my black hair was still in its usual sort-of-poofy bob cut. My bangs were still in place with a couple strands out of place. I turned my attention to my eyes. The chilly, piercing blue gazed back at me. Another sigh escaped my lips as I closed my eyes. ‘I wonder how they’re doing, or what they’re doing…’

“How who is doing?” 

I was jolted from my thoughts and gasped. I quickly turned around to see Gakushuu standing in the doorway. “Shuu-kun you scared me.” I sighed.

“Well I was rather concerned for your well being considering you had a fever and wouldn’t wake up.”

“But you don’t have to scare me to check on me.” I grumbled.

“It’s not my fault you let your guard down and started talking to yourself.” Gakushuu replied. “Besides, you’re just that easy to scare.” I sighed once again and turned to the mirror to pull my tie around my neck.

“I don’t need you to look after me all the time.” I retorted softly. “You don’t even do it by yourself.” I finished tying my tie and pulled my blazer on. ‘Your dad has to remind you that I’m-’

“Who were you referring to anyway?” Gakushuu interrupted my thoughts with narrow eyes. 

“What do you mean ‘who’?” I turned back to face him, my eyebrows furrowed. 

“You were talking to yourself right before I came in.” 

“What?!” I squeaked. He nodded.

“You said you were wondering how someone was-”

“It was nothing.” I interrupted him. His eyes narrowed even more. 

“Are you sure?” He took a step towards me. 

“Yes, I was talking about Akiko and Papa.” I wasn’t. Not at the time. I was thinking about the friends that I made in my first two years in middle school. Shiota Nagisa and Akabane Karma.


	3. Chapter 3

With Gakushuu as the student council president (and my ride home), I’ve usually had to stay at school for an extra hour or so. School ends at 3:00, which meant I slept for about 3 hours and 40 minutes not counting the time it took me to wake up. I had walked back to the classroom after Gakushuu left to grab my bag. As I walked past other students they waved at me and I waved back.

“Shirayukihime looks a bit ill today…” a whisper passed by.

“Of course, she’s been staying up all night working on a new code or something…” a whisper berated.

“I know, but I saw Asano-san carrying her to the clinic earlier today.” 

“What do you think, he’s her fiance. He’s supposed to take care of her.” 

Yes. Papa had me engaged to Gakushuu when I was just 9 years old. He decided to send me here to make sure I would be safe and sound with Asano-san and Gakushuu to look after me. Lost in thought, I didn’t notice as bright red hair and mercury eyes passed by the 3A classroom.  
\--

“Chihiro,” Gakushuu’s voice made its way into the classroom, as well as the boy himself. The sight that met his eyes was Chihiro half asleep while standing with her bag on her desk. It wasn’t the most unusual sight he’d seen. The strangest one was her sleeping in a nest of cables, wires, pillows, and blankets surrounded by several monitors. That was two years ago. Ever since her first year in middle school she wasn’t as much of a recluse. He remembers her mentioning making friends at school, but never really met them until one day last year during lunch.

\--

_It was the first term during the transition from spring into summer on a rather hot day. He wanted to eat in the cafeteria with Chihiro and others with good standing within the school. He turned around to look for said girl and found her surprisingly missing. She usually slept through lunch and needed to be woken up by himself. He turned back around only to see Chihiro rushing out the door and into the somewhat busy hallway. With narrowed eyes, he quickly followed._

_The petite girl had her arms full with two textbooks and the corresponding notebooks. “Chihiro!” Gakushuu called. Chihiro froze and turned around with an uneasy look on her face._

_“Shuu-kun…” She quietly voiced his nickname. “I’m going to go somewhere else for lunch today okay?” Gakushuu frowned._

_“Where are you going?” He questioned._

_“I’m going to meet a new friend!” She smiled. It seemed like there was a new light in her eyes as she gazed at her fiance. Without giving him time to respond, she dashed off to meet her ‘new friend’ with a glowing smile and a semi-bewildered Gakushuu behind._

_With newfound inexplicable anger boiling in his veins, he continued to follow Chihiro from a distance._  
\--

“Chihiro, wake up,” Gakushuu commanded. His firm voice shook Chihiro awake with goosebumps running along her arms. 

“Ah! Shuu-kun! I'm sorry!” She bowed her head in apology before quickly packing her bag and pulling it onto her shoulder. “Are we leaving?” She asked. Her head was tilted to the left in opposition to her bag. 

“Yes,” Gakushuu answered. “Please refrain from falling asleep in these kinds of places. You never know what kind of unsavory characters could be lurking around after school.” Chihiro nodded in response. They left the classroom with the kindlings of a conversation and continued down the hallway.  
\--

_“Shiota-san!” Chihiro’s cheerful voice rang through the sparse hallway. ‘Shiota?’ Gakushuu silently questioned. There wasn’t anyone with the name in class A. So why was Chihiro interacting with someone lower than them?_

_“Ichihara-san!” A light voice answered. “I told you to call me Nagisa.”_  
_‘A girl?’ Gakushuu thought. There can’t be any harm in letting Chihiro be exposed to another feminine presence other than her house maid. As the two ‘girls’ conversed, Gakushuu ducked his head around the corner to see who Chihiro was interacting with so he could go through the school’s files later. What he saw did not sit well with him._


	4. Chapter 4

I haven’t felt this excited for anything in such a long time. Having the chance to assassinate a teacher? It all seems too good to be true. The 10 billion yen is just an added bonus. Not that I need it anyway. Of course I’ll miss beating the main campus students up for perfectly valid reasons, but this is definitely going to be much better. 

As I walked down the hall, I passed by the 3A classroom. I don’t know what made me look, but I had a feeling she would be in there. Ichihara Chihiro.

It wasn’t a particularly exciting day and I had nothing to do. I wasn’t thinking about where I was going at the time. I somehow ended up behind the school. There, a student was backed up against the wall, with another cornering him.

“Come on!” The bully tormented. “You just have to give me half of your allowance!”

“S-Stop, please I don’t have anything with me right now!” The student cried. 

“Bullshit!” The bully punched the wall by the student’s head, towering over him in the process. “I know you have shit with you because I’ve seen you showing off to your puny friends!”

I was about to step in and beat the perpetrator, but something stopped me. I don’t know how or why I didn’t notice her, but a petite girl with black hair and blue eyes beat me to the punch. 

“Please stop!” She cried. “Bullying is bad and you could get kicked out of here if-”

“Shut up little girl! You aren’t even in the right building!” The bully swung his arm back and the girl fell to the dusty ground. “The elementary school is somewhere else!”

I had decided that was the last straw. So I stepped in when the bully went back to punch the student. My hand caught his fist and I pushed his arm back. I swung my leg against his knees to trip him. As he fell I pulled his arm back around to pin him onto the ground.

“Go find a teacher.” The student quickly regained his senses and scrambled away. The girl who was knocked down stood up with a quiet ow and looked at him. She blushed, bowed, and opened her mouth to say something. But before she could say anything footsteps and voices were already emerging from around the corner. 

“Um, thank you! I have to go now!” She quietly announced. With that she ran off to the other side of the school. 

The next day I was in my classroom formulating a new prank. It lasted until lunch break and halfway through that. 

“E-Excuse me!” I remember her voice was really small. Ah, Ichihara Chihiro. I remember hearing about her around the school. Shirayuki. With skin pale as snow and hair dark as ebony.

“Do you need something?” I answered. 

“I wanted to thank you for yesterday. The bully, Yoshino Keiji, has been doing things like that un-persecuted.” She explained how that was the last straw for the staff and how he was expelled. “And I made some cookies for you as thanks.” Chihiro pulled a small plastic baggie with an assortment of cookies. Chocolate, sugar, and white chocolate. “I hope you can enjoy them.” 

“Thanks.” I accepted the bag and opened it up. The smell was quite nice and the taste wasn’t bad either. Maybe a bit too sweet for me, but still good. 

We parted ways after a bit of small talk and I finished the cookies.

We ended up becoming pretty good friends. Nagisa was in our trio too. We usually spent lunch time together or whenever Chihiro had free time. Not that she had much of it anyway. She always said that her fiance would be annoyed at her absence. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I’m fairly sure Nagisa and I can confirm that.  
\--  
I must have fallen asleep in the car again. I could feel Gakushuu pick me up in my semi-conscious state. I could barely register Gakushuu and Yukina’s voices. 

“She….sto….leep li….”

“It’s fine….no….all….” 

“Woul….ste….tea?”

“I’m fi….goin….home….”

Their conversation wasn’t very long. I only know because I started moving a few seconds later. The gentle sway of being carried lulled me into a deep sleep and all consciousness faded away.  
\--  
Warmth enveloped me like a cocoon of soft fuzz. A gentle purr reached my ears and pulled me awake in two seconds flat. “Akiko!” I cried. My darling ragamuffin cat with her baby blue eyes and long, soft fur. Having supported me for the past five years, Akiko was like my platonic soulmate. She brings me blankets when I get tired at the keyboard, stops me from working too much, and takes care of me as if I were her own kitten (the kneading and licking parts hurt though). 

Akiko meows at me and jumps off of my bed. She turns her head to look at me before she exits my room with a swish of her tail. I jump up to follow her tripping through long cables and wires linked to the monitors and keyboard that inhabit a small alcove in my room. My latest project was a self learning A.I. I was hoping to finish her by tomorrow night, but I don't think I'll be able to because of the amount of sleeping and homework I have to do. 

I’m still in my school uniform, so I pull my knee socks off of my legs just before I slip on the hardwood floor in the hallway. The amount of times I've done so is countless. Just as I catch up to Akiko, who turned around the corner, I almost ran into Yukina. Yukina held a tray of small snacks with a glass of milk in her hands, and caught them before they could fall.

“Sorry Yukina!” I squeak and quickly run past her to catch Akiko. I heard the gentle housemaid sigh before she turned around and called out to me.

“Chihiro-sama! I have a slice of pound cake prepared for you!” 

“Okay, I'll eat it later!” I sort of call back. I hate being loud. It makes me lightheaded. I have no doubt she heard me though. I got so close to catching up to Akiko.

“I also have some news for you!” Yukina continued. I stall in my tracks. “Your father is coming back from his business trip in Paris!”

Papa’s coming home?


	5. Chapter 5

My legs were folded beside me with my ankles crossed. I was leaning against the wall waiting for Karma to come out of the office. Suddenly a loud noise came from the office. Karma stormed out of the teacher’s office with an unprecedented rage. He’d never left the office like that before. At least, in the time I’ve known him. I quickly stood from my post by the door. “Karma-kun!” I called after him.

He kept walking. I followed as fast as I could with my fatigued body. 

Beep

Beep

Beep

Beep

The incessant razor sharp beeping of the dreaded alarm clock slices through my dream like a hot knife through soft butter. I let out a groan as my eyes struggle to open. I had stayed up again working on my new project. Maybe the anticipation of Papa coming home was a contributing factor. I haven’t really seen him since March since he flew to Paris. We couldn’t really call each other much either because apparently there’s a new “Super-Duper Major Project”, in Papa’s words, that’s keeping him busy. He doesn’t really tell me much about the company because he doesn’t want to “burden me with more stress”. He told me that school and my self-established extracurriculars were already sapping away at my sleep (and stunting my growth). 

“Chihiro-sama!” Yukina’s muffled voice interrupts my thoughts about Papa. “It’s 7:15, your breakfast has been prepared and is waiting in the dining room.” She continues. I let out another groan and pulled my sleep heavy body from the warmth of the nest of blankets, wires, and Akiko. Her soft, fuzzy fur tickling my nose. The ragamuffin follows me in my steps towards my closet, rubbing against my legs and weaving in between them. 

“I’m up…” I answered. “Good morning, Akiko.” I murmured. I pull my wrinkled pajamas off and replace them with a fresh uniform. After that, I drag my feet over to the vanity resting next to the alcove (the majority of) my computers are kept in. It’s a simple vanity with a large circular mirror and nine drawers. It’s all painted a clean, creamy white with a matching, cushioned stool. I plop my butt onto the stool and pull a brush through my messy hair. I took a moment to look at my face. Hopefully, my pallor will get better once I eat. Gakushuu usually bothers me about it if he decides I look sick. 

I finished examining my appearance and walked down to the dining room. My breakfast is a simple one with sliced apples and an eggs benedict on an english muffin topped with hollandaise sauce. Yukina stands to my left with a small notepad in her hand. “Chihiro-sama, your father will be arriving at the airport around noon.” I nod in acknowledgement. “He sent a note ahead to inform you that he will be visiting you at school to run some errands.” Hearing this, the corners of my lips tilt down. Papa doesn’t really visit the school often. He trusts Asano-san and Gakushuu to take care of me there, and he doesn’t doubt my academic ability to keep up in class. Why would he suddenly decide to visit?

“Did Papa say what errand he will be running?” I turn to Yukina with my eyebrows raised. She shakes her head.

“He only mentioned an errand he had to run, not any specifics.” She answers. Just then, the doorbell rang throughout the house.

“Is it already time?” I murmured to myself. I look at the grandfather clock resting by the door. 

8:00

“Hm,” I use a napkin to quickly wipe my hands and mouth clean of the hollandaise sauce and hurry to grab my school bag. Behind the front door was Gakushuu and my ride to school. 

“Good morning,” Gakushuu said. 

“Good morning, Shuu-kun.”  
\--  
Karma was suspended that day. But I only found out after hacking the school’s computer system. I remember feeling disappointed that he didn’t tell me. Nagisa told me about it too. Now they’re both in cla-  
\--

“Chihiro!” 

My eyes snapped open. Gakushuu stood in front of my desk. A stern look was on his face. “The Chairman has requested that you go to his office.” 

“Asano-san?” I mumbled. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and stood groggily. The Chairman hardly ever needs to see me. I did well in class (other than sleeping most of the time) and I didn’t cause any problems. 

“It’s lunch hour so you won’t miss any class.” Gakushuu walked me down to Asano-san’s office. 

“Ah.” 

“The Chairman didn’t say anything about what it is he wished to talk about.” Gakushuu droned on.

“Un.”

“I do believe I saw your father in his office as well.”

“Oh!” My semi-unconscious self immediately perked up. “You said Papa was here, right?” We reach the end of the hallway with the door leading to the office. Gakushuu nods. This must be the errand Papa said he needed to run. He raps his knuckles on the door a few times before opening it. Asano-san’s office was, as usual dark. No, it’s more like suffocating. The atmosphere is usually dark and ominous, but this time, I was greeted with the equivalent of an oversized child. 

\--

“Chi-chan!” Ichihara Shigeru jumps out at his daughter from the shadows of the Chairman’s office. His daughter, having grown used to his antics, steps to the side and dodges his “surprise attack” by a mere second.

“Papa…” Said daughter frowns at his tall, lithe figure crumpled in a ball on the linoleum floor. At the sound of Chihiro’s soft voice, Shigeru immediately gets up, pushes his dark hair out of his bright eyes, and places his hands on her small, bony shoulders. 

“Chi-chan, how are you doing?” He bent down to her level and starts to interrogate her. “You’re getting enough sleep right? Oh, of course, you aren’t you still have really bad bags under your eyes!” As the grown man fusses over his “darling” daughter, who yawns and pulls him into a hug.

“I missed you too Papa,” Chihiro grumbles into his stomach. “But what are you doing here? You never come here unless it’s for parent-teacher conferences. And even then you only show up for half of them.” 

Shigeru quickly stands upright at the mention of the current setting. “There’s a very serious matter that Asano-san and I need to discuss with you, as well as some others, but-” He pulls Chihiro into the office and leaves Gakushuu standing behind the door. “-everything needs to be discussed in private.” 

Chihiro was greeted by more people than just the Chairman. A tall man with spiky hair and a slightly shorter woman both dressed in professional clothing stood by the couch in front of the Chairman’s desk. 

“Ah, Ichihara-san,” The tall man turned towards her. “You may want to sit for this.” Shigeru pulls Chihiro to follow him and the two of them sit down on the stiff couch.

“You can just call me Chihiro.” The petite girl smiles. “I don’t mind.” The two adults nod. 

“Well then, Chihiro-san, we are from the Ministry of Defense.” 

\--

I don’t know what to think. Actually, I don’t know whether to believe them or not. “We understand if you need time to make a decision.” The woman adds. The Chairman sits at his desk with a dissatisfied look on his face.

“This isn’t a decision you can make in the 15 minutes we have left-”

“You said I’d have to transfer to 3E right?” I interrupt with a grin beginning to split my face. 

“Chi-chan,” Papa begins. “You aren’t obligated to do this. Papa has already started to help them-”

“I’ll do it!”


	6. Chapter 6

“Ah…” I sigh, still feeling the rush of endorphins. “Today was a good day.” I lie on my bed with my arms and legs spread out. Akiko settles herself on my chest and nuzzles my chin.  
\--  
“Chihiro, I don’t think you’re making the right decision.” Asano-san frowned at me. “With your condition-”

“Please keep in mind that the target has already agreed that he will not harm any of the students.” Karasuma-san, the tall man with the sharp features and his assistant from the Ministry of Defense. “I will also be there as the Physical Education teacher, so you won’t have to worry.”

“No, Chihiro should stay here where it’s safe. She shouldn’t have to bear the burden of a national secret. She’s already stressed enough with school and her past time.” The Chairman seems adamant about keeping me here. I guess it would cause trouble because I’m engaged to Gakushuu-

“Chi-chan,” Papa looks at me with a stiff expression on his face. “You can do whatever you feel is right.” He pulls me into his arms and holds me tight. “Papa will support your every decision.” I could feel Asano-san narrowing his eyes at Papa’s statement.

“Shigeru, are you not worried about what could happen to-”

“Gakuho! Lighten up a bit!” Papa abruptly lets me go and stands with his arms akimbo. “I owe at least this much to her.” He mumbles.   
\--  
I pull myself up and walk over to the alcove. Computers, monitors, keyboards, and a lot of wires. Since it’s only 7:42, I should be able to get a lot done.  
\--  
Shiota Nagisa has had a fairly interesting day so far. Last night, an email was sent out informing the class of a student transferring in. There was a note at the end stating that there would likely be some abnormal activity going on by the entrance to the mountain. With a sigh, he looks over the message one more time before stepping off of the train. As he walks through the train station towards the north exit, he notices Sugino just ahead.

“Sugino!” Nagisa runs to catch up to him. Sugino waves back with a grin and slows down to let Nagisa catch up. 

“You got the message yesterday too right?” Sugino asks just as Nagisa steps up beside him. 

“Yeah. I’m more curious about the abnormal activity Karasuma-sensei mentioned.” Sugino nods in agreement. They continue to discuss various topics as they traverse the distance between the train station and the school. They meet up with Isogai and Kataoka, who were on their way as well, buzzing with anticipation of the transfer student. 

Just as they reach the entrance to the mountain path, they see something quite peculiar. In fact, it wasn’t subtle at all what the abnormality of the day would be. A swarm of students from the main campus all bumbling around causing a ruckus. 

“She hasn’t shown up yet…”

“Do you think she regrets her decision?”

“Maybe she’s just afraid of what could happen to her.”

“Yeah, who knows what they do up there?”

“They should be thankful for Shirayukihime’s sacrifice.”

Shirayukihime? The 3E students’ eyes widen. “Chihiro-chan?” Nagisa whispered. 

“Ugh, there’s some over there right now…”

“Tch, we can’t let them get to our Shirayukihime now…”

The glares of the main campus students make the skin of the 3E students prickle. Their eyes lower at the tension and their chins tilt down, and with a collective deep breath, they all took the plunge into a pool of disdain and animosity. Whispers float around them pulling their faces into tense positions and making sweat collect on their skin. With their gazes on the ground, the usual ridicule and sneers envelope them in a blanket of shame. 

“Look at them, so useless and stupid.”

“They’ll be the scum of society some day.”

Soft footsteps made their way over to the large group of students.

“They’re all hopeless, I don’t know why none of them have left this school in despair yet.”

“I don’t get why Shirayukihime has to waste her time on this crap group.”

A soft smile appeared on her face.

“They should be grateful to even be in her presence.”

“No, they don’t even deserve to look at the ground she walks on.”

The soft steps turned into fast steps, then a full on sprint for the last few feet.

“These-”

“Nagisa!” A bright voice called. The petite figure known as “Shirayukihime” launches herself into the tense atmosphere. Students from the main building immediately part like the Red Sea to let the small girl through. She jumps up and onto the blue haired boy. 

“Chi-Chihiro-chan?” Nagisa struggles a bit to keep from dropping her out of sheer unpreparedness. 

“I’m transferring into your class today!” Her cheerful disposition set Sugino, Isogai, and Kataoka off a bit. Why is she so happy about coming to class 3E?

“Shirayukihime!” The main campus students lined up in a few rows in front of the 3E students. 

“Ah…”

“Shirayukihime, we wish you luck on your mission to class 3E!” They chant. Chihiro’s face seems to drop and she sighs before pulling her composure back together. Nagisa could see that there was something bugging her. 

“Um, thank you…” She started. 

“We will miss you very much!” There were tears appearing along with this statement.

“I, ah, appreciate the-” 

“Please don’t leave us!” One boy cries out.

“Um, I can’t really ba-”

“Dude!” His (assumed) friend elbows him in the ribs. “You gotta hold up!” The crying boy’s teary situation was almost as contagious as the black plague. It didn’t take long for everyone to start sniffling and wiping at wet eyes. Chihiro sighs before whispering to the 3E students to leave.

“He usually shows up at around this time.” She adds. They nod and quickly begin to make their way to the mountain path. 

“Chihiro.” Gakushuu’s firm voice shoots through the commotion like a bullet. 

“Asano-san!” The students look towards their beloved student council president. He walks through the crowd and stands next to Chihiro. He places his hand on the small of her back before wrapping it around her waist and pulling her into his chest.

“Chihiro will be going to class 3E on a mission. As the Chairman explained yesterday she will be going there to help the class, get back on their feet, so to say.” His arm tightened its grip on Chihiro’s waist. “This is a valiant effort and initiative to give a chance to students who were sent there for bad grades. We should all be wishing her well on her way, and go back to focusing on ourselves.” With that, Gakushuu releases Chihiro and herds the students back inside. He glances back at Chihiro with an illegible expression before leaving the scene himself.  
\--  
I felt somewhat abandoned when he turned his back on me. Maybe he felt betrayed that I decided to leave him for 3E. I didn’t really tell him about Nagisa and Karma before, but knowing him he probably found out on his own terms. 

“Well then,” I whisper. “I guess I should get started on this path.”   
\---

My legs feel like they’re made of jelly and weighed down by lead. I yawn and shuffle my feet into the shabby schoolhouse. As I switch my shoes, some other students walked in conversing lightly. They notice me when I closed my newly assigned cubby, so I smile at them and wave. Then I quickly make my way to the teacher’s lounge. I gently knock on the door before sliding it open.

“Is Karasuma-sensei here?” My voice floats through the room as I poke my head into the room. I spot the tall teacher standing at his desk with a laptop opened. 

“Ah, Chihiro-san,” He walks over and holds his hand out for me to shake. I take the offer and nod. “I have to thank you again for deciding to join this class. It must have been a hard decision.”

“No, not really.” I shake my head in an attempt to dispel his apparent worries. “I was tired of the main campus anyway. Too stuffy. Everyone is so stuck up.” 

“Alright. Class will be starting a few minutes.” He explains as he leads me to the door of the classroom. “I’ll walk you in after him.” I nodded in agreement. As I waited for class to start, I pull my phone out and began to write an email to Gakushuu. Hopefully, he can explain what I felt at the foot of the mountain. If he can’t, then I can always ask Nagisa or Karma. Karma may not be of much help though, considering his personality. A distant slithering sound caught my attention. My head snapped up to see the tall, wriggly, canary yellow...octopus...thing? I guess he’s the teacher due to the black academic dress and cap. A wide smile stretches across his face with two small white dots sitting an inch or two above. I had to tilt my head up just to watch him walk by, which he did with a sharp good morning. I could feel my mouth open in a small gasp as he slid the classroom door open. 

“He’s the teacher?” I whispered. A small grin emerges on my face. Just as the teacher leaves my line of vision, Karasuma-sensei steps forward and gestures me to follow. 

“Good morning everyone!” The teacher’s sharp voice emerges from the open doorway. “We have a new student joining us today!” He sounds quite enthusiastic. Karasuma-sensei takes this as his cue and leads me into the classroom. 

“Everyone, this is Ichihara Chihiro.” Karasuma-sensei introduces me with a wave of his hand. I turn around to write my name on the chalkboard.

“Hello everyone!” I wave to the class as I follow up Karasuma-sensei’s introduction. The entire class is focused on me. Some with friendly gazes and others with piercing glares. “I hope we can get along this year!”


	7. Chapter 7

It was a bright and cloudless sky that greeted us that day. A light breeze would occasionally brush through the leaves and our hair. Mama had placed a large bonnet on my head that day. It was white and it constantly flopped into my vision. I always asked Mama why I had to wear large hats. She always replied with the same answer.

“Chihiro, there are some people out there who don’t like others for their differences. They get treated differently because of that and I don’t want anyone to treat you differently.”

It was that day those words came from her mouth the last time.

\---

“.....y sh….ke…..p?”

“.....ara-sa…..al...s….been…..t.”

“This…...king…...sen….very…..d.”

The voices drifting through my dream pull me away from the comforting voice my mind had fabricated. They’re quite new to me. These voices. They’re surrounding me in a flurry of syllables that still aren’t quite coherent. New voices huh.

New voices….

New...voices….

I quickly sit up in my wooden chair. I had fallen asleep in class again! And it’s my first day in 3E! What if I leave a bad impression on my new classmates?!

“Ah! The princess is awake!” A familiar voice interrupts my speeding train of thoughts. My head whips to my right to meet mercury eyes, bright red hair, and a teasing smirk. 

“Karma!” In my excitement, I launch myself from my seat into the arms of the boy sitting next to me. He caught me around my waist without much difficulty and gave me a gentle pat on the back. “I missed you so much! You never told me you that you were suspended.” I pull away from his arms while keeping a firm grip on his shoulders.

“Sorry.” Karma’s smile fades. “It was a bit hard to see you after I was suspended.” 

“It’s alright. I ended up sleeping through a majority of the days after that.” I scratch the back of my head sheepishly.

“So you’re still the same old princess aren’t you? Falling asleep whenever and wherever.” The teasing smirk returns to his face. “They should change your name to Sleeping Beauty!” I pout at his statement.

“I already hate the nickname they’ve given me back at the main building you don’t have to rub it in!” Behind me, someone cleared their throat and interrupted our argument. “Ah!” I turn my head to see the teacher and other students surrounding my desk with curious looks on their faces. 

“Ichihara-san…” The yellow, slithery teacher towers above me and looks down with (what I assume to be) a slightly annoyed expression. I looked back at him for a moment before blue hair caught my attention.

“Nagisa!” He stood on the other side of my chair, so I couldn’t exactly reach over to hug him, but he did greet me in return. 

“Chihiro-chan, why are you here in Class E?” He looked quite a bit confused. “You were in Class A even though you slept through most of the class.” I gave him a short run-down of what had happened the past few days. Starting with the invitation to the chairman’s office to the end of the meeting with the Ministry of Defense. 

“The main building is too stuffy. Everyone there is stiff and boring.” I cross my arms with a sigh and gently shake my head. “Even Shuu-kun is being stupid.” I murmur under my breath.

“Well then,” Karma wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Why don’t you introduce yourself to everyone here? Those stiffs back at the main building don’t matter anymore. You’re part of Class E now.” I nod and proceed to introduce myself more thoroughly to the classmates standing around my desk.

“Please excuse my behavior in class. I’ve been quite weak since I was a child and only quite recently started to attend school consistently.” I bow my head in an apologetic way before a few of them wave it off saying it isn’t my fault.

A dark-haired boy and a girl with long gray hair held back in a ponytail (much more reasonable looking than the thugs who sat on the other side of Karma) introduced themselves as the class representatives. Isogai Yuuma and Kataoka Megu. With a positive, optimistic, and dependable vibe gently emanating from them, it wasn’t a surprise they were elected.

The next was a bubbly green haired girl who introduced herself as Kayano Kaede. She’s rather short, definitely not taller than Nagisa, and possesses light hazel eyes. Kindness oozes from her in waves of welcoming excitement. 

Next was an energetic boy with a friendly look on his face. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his tie was loosened a bit. In fact, he seems quite athletic. A bit familiar in fact... “I’m Sugino Tomo-”

“-hito. Formerly on the Kunugigaoka Academy baseball team. Right?” Before I even realized what I had said, everyone was looking at me in…Is it shock? Bewilderment? I can’t really tell, but they all have wide-eyed looks on their faces. 

“Chihiro-chan....” Karma places another hand on my shoulder and brings is face close to my right ear. “Are you still an information junkie?” 

\---

Chihiro’s face flushes a brilliant red. “N-No I’m not! I n-never was in the first place!” She looked down at her feet as she stammered. “I just have a r-really good memory!” Karma ignored her flushed state and leaned closer.

“Are you sure about that?” A smirk appeared on his face as he interrogated her. “Hacking into the school systems for information about people makes you one you know.” A teasing lilt arches his voice. Korosensei (who has, so far, been frightfully ignored the past couple minutes by his eager pupils) quickly whips a book out from nowhere and began scribbling furiously. 

“I only do that for specific people!” Chihiro leans away from the devilish boy. “The only reason I know him is because I watched him play once!” Karma immediately backs up with a sigh. 

“You’re no fun.” He pouts. Hearing Chihiro’s explanation on how she was (somewhat) familiar with Sugino satisfied the questions they prepared. 

“My dad thought it would be good for me to get some sun, so he had Shu- a family friend take me to one of the ball games. I ended up falling asleep halfway through though…” A hopeless expression appears on Nagisa and Sugino’s faces. 

“How did you manage to fall asleep during a baseball game?” Kurahashi Hinano takes the chance to introduce herself. “Aren’t they really loud?” Her head tilts with confusion and curiosity coloring her voice.

Chihiro fidgets with her hair sheepishly. “I tend to fall asleep anywhere really.” She answers. “Just the other day I fell asleep putting my things in my bag in the classroom.”

“Ah!” Karma stands up a little straighter. “I saw you there while I was getting the class information from the main building. You were standing too.” Surprise at Karma’s testimony was expressed with loud “Hah?!”s and “Eh?!”s. 

“That’s really dangerous!” Kataoka exclaims, a worried look marring her usually calm features. 

“Yes! Yes! Sensei agrees wholeheartedly!” Korosensei leans forward in an attempt to re-join the conversation and get to know his newest student. 

“It’s not too bad,” Chihiro argues. “I never really go anywhere other than here and home. I don’t even really walk home like everyone else does. Papa worries about me too much to let me go out by myself.”

“Speaking of, I’ve never met your parents before.” Nagisa placed his hand on his chin, thinking hard to recall whether or not they’ve met before.

“Ah, Mama died a while back in an accident and Papa is often out on business trips, and he was out whenever you visited to study.” Chihiro held her finger up as she answered. “He’s really busy all the time so he hardly has any time to spend with me.” As she finishes her statement, sniffles could be heard from the side. The students turn their heads toward the noise to see Korosensei with a handkerchief in tentacle wiping at his eyes. 

“That’s such a sad story...sniff...Ichihara-chan must be so lonely all the time...sniff...sniff…”

“Not really. I have a cat and Yukina to keep me company.” Chihiro’s slight disregard of Korosensei’s worry shot an arrow through his heart.

“Ah, how are they by the way?” Nagisa asks. “Yukina-san and Akiko.”

“They’re doing fine. Akiko is getting in on the years though.” Chihiro thought for a moment before adding on. “I was thinking we could get a rescue kitten for Akiko to adopt. She did a good enough job with me, so adding a new family member shouldn’t be a problem…” Chihiro babbled on, continuing to add trivial things about Akiko that soon turned into a murmur. Her soft voice filling the space around her. 

Coming to his wits end, Karma lifts his hand and places it on Chihiro’s head in a hard pat. A squeak of surprise brakes her out of her trance and a blush rises to her face as she sees everyone looking at her. “Chihiro-chan… You really need to reconnect with society.” Karma sighs.


	8. Chapter 8

A small girl is hiding behind her father’s legs. She has long black hair and bangs that hide her eyes. A white sundress with a pink ribbon wrapped around her waist decorates her frail figure.

When I first met her, she was so weak. 

A large, fluffy cat is winding itself between her legs. “...kiko…” I hear her whisper. “...’re tickling me…”

“Chihiro,” Her father gently coos. “You have to introduce yourself, honey.” 

I could hardly hear her introduce herself. 

“...chihara...Chihiro…” 

It was quite surprising to me that the daughter of such a prominent company CEO could be so...pitiful. 

It was that day my father told me that we were to be married. 

It was that day I decided I needed to protect her timid innocence from anything that would harm her. 

But now she’s out of my sight, and away from the domain I control.  
\---  
After lunch time, class resumed and Chihiro managed to stay awake for at least half the class. During this time, she observed a difference that existed between the teachers in the main building, and Korosensei. 

The teachers in Class A move quickly with complete disregard of the comfort of the students. Korosensei breaks everything down so everyone can understand the material.  
Korosensei is focusing more on the students individually, instead of just shoving the information into the students faces in with hopes to screen out the weaker ones.  
Chihiro may be sleeping through class most of the time, but she’s intuitive enough to figure out how the school works. There is a reason why so many people seek her help before and after class. She was usually relatively content to help them (unless it was Japanese Literature) until she learned about how pretty much everyone looked down at and scorned Class E. She didn’t despise the bullies but she certainly disliked them. After meeting Karma and Nagisa, her thoughts of the school being a complete metaphorical melee for the best grades lessened a little. These thoughts clouded her mind as her eyes slowly started to close once again. 

\---

“Ichihara-chan!” I slowly open my eyes in response to the annoyed voice trying to wake me up. The first thing that met my eyes was what I assume to be the black academic dress of Korosensei. I rubbed my eyes to clear up my sleep heavy vision and confirm my assumption. 

“Is class over?” I murmur. Korosensei leans over me and sighs. 

“Yes, it is. Everyone is going outside for Physical Education right now.” He answers. “Sensei understands that you must sleep to preserve your strength, but please make an effort to stay awake during Japanese Literature.” I froze at his statement. “When Sensei received your grades from the main building, I noticed that Japanese literature wasn’t your strongest subject.” I silently nod in agreement. “Your main objective of coming here is to assassinate me. But Sensei has an objective too.”

“And that is to polish this group of students into shining jewels.”

\---

I ended up leaving the classroom with a small stack of Japanese Lit. worksheets stuffed into my bag. I don’t really want them to be there, but Korosensei insisted. I think he wants me to do the work during Phys. Ed. I am excused from the class, but the only reason why I’m excused is so I can pull my metaphorical weight with the project I’m working on right now. Karasuma-sensei still requires me to attend two classes a week.

I find a decent sized tree with lots of shade to sit under. I pull a laptop out of my bag and open it up. Before I came to school, I had transferred the project I’m working on at home onto a hard-drive I can plug into my laptop so I can work on it here. Facing the rest of the class, I can see them working on with their Anti-Sensei knives. Seeing the way Karasuma-sensei is instructing them tells me that they aren’t that great yet. But with time and effort, I’m sure they’ll improve lots by the end of the year. 

\---

A moderate temperature and gentle breeze formulate the perfect environment to lull an earnestly working Chihiro to sleep. With her back against the tree and laptop sitting on the ground next to her, she had fallen fast asleep. The gentle buzzing of the laptop ceased as Karma closed the top. The students were taking a quick water break and he’d taken the chance to check up on the now dozing girl. 

He gently placed his hand on her forehead to brush her bangs away from her eyes. “You should take better care of yourself.” He mumbles.

\---

“Mama, when is Papa going to come home?” Chihiro lies in bed with a cool, wet cloth resting on her forehead. Ichihara Miyako gently closes the book she was reading and leans over to comfort her daughter. 

“Papa will be home soon honey. In fact, he just called me to say that he’s on the way home okay?” Miyako answers. Chihiro nods and closes her eyes. 

“Mama… Mama should rest too… “ Chihiro’s mumbles reached the sensitive ears of her mother. “Mama’s spent so much time... taking care of me...” Miyako smiles at her daughter’s worried dialogue. 

“Mama will be alright, honey.” She reaches over and takes the wet cloth to make it cold once more. “Right now you need to focus on getting better.” Chihiro turns her head to look at Miyako.

“Will Mama get some rest after I get better?” Chihiro asked. Miyako nodded in response to Chihiro’s question. As she finished rewetting and placing the small towel on Chihiro’s forehead, she laid a soft kiss on her cheek. 

“So focus on getting better for me and Papa okay?” 

“Yes, Mama…”


	9. Chapter 9

It was close to the end of class, and Chihiro was still asleep underneath the tree. Karasuma-sensei gave us 15 minutes to cool down. I decided to take this chance to check up on her. Even if she’s a programming genius, she can be pretty stupid sometimes. As I make my way towards her sleeping figure, I notice that she doesn’t look too good. Her face is pale and she appears to be sweating. I see her eyebrows furrow gently as she lightly stirs. I frown and place my hand against her forehead. She’s warm. Too warm. I’ve seen her like this a couple of times while we were still in the main building. She must have overworked herself. 

I take her laptop and put it back in her bag before calling Nagisa over to take it into the classroom. Picking her up with one arm under her knees and one supporting her back, I walk over to Karasuma-sensei and inform him of the situation. “Alright, take her straight to the infirmary,” He instructs. “Then go to class.” With a nod, I start walking back to the school building. 

As I reach the building and walk in, I feel Chihiro stir once again. “Mama…” She mumbles. I gently shift her around so she’s a bit more secure in my arms before I continue. 

We reach the infirmary without any trouble and I lay her down on one of the lumpy beds. “You really need to start taking care of yourself better you idiot,” I say before gently poking her soft cheek. “You won’t be able to help us assassinate that octopus if you’re sick half the time.”

\---

I was holding Mama’s hand as we made our way to the cherry blossom viewing festival. She held a picnic basket in her other hand filled with some mochi, daifuku, tea, and a plastic picnic sheet. She said that Asano-san and Shuu-kun would be bringing some garbage bags and some utensils. “Mama, when will Papa get here?” I asked.

“Papa is coming here from his office,” She replied. “So he’ll be here in a little bit.”

Mama and I made our way to the decided meeting place. I saw that Asano-san was already waiting with Shuu-kun. I waved my free hand at him before running over to give him a hug. “Shuu-kun!” I called. He turned his head to look at me with light in his eyes before they turned into shock. 

“CHIHIRO!”

\---

With a gasp, my eyes shot open to see the back of Karma’s head. My body was being supported by his as he held me under my knees and my arms were wound around his neck. “Karma…” I mumbled. “Where are we? Is class over?” Karma turned his head to look at me from the corner of his eye. 

“Class ended a few minutes ago. We’re about halfway down the mountain right now.” He replied. 

“We tried to wake you up to tell you about it…” Nagisa’s voice came up from behind me. 

“Ah!” I lurched a little closer to Karma’s body if that was possible. “I didn’t notice you Nagisa…” He chuckled a bit before holding up three school bags. Karma’s, mine, and his own. 

“Who did you think was going to hold yours and Karma’s stuff?” I could feel my skin flush a bit from my unusual lack of attention. With a touch of shame, I gently buried my face into my shoulder and allowed my hair to cover my face. 

“I’m sorry Nagisa, and to you too Karma. For having you guys look after me like this…” I groan. “I’m not usually this out of it…” I continue.

“Nagisa,” Karma interrupted, “Check her temperature real quick.” He stopped walking and shifted a little so I was a little more secure in his arms. Nagisa puts one of the bags down and reaches over to feel my forehead. His eyes widen immediately. 

“Chihiro-chan! You’re burning up!” He exclaims. Karma sighs with an exasperated undertone and hoisted me higher up on his back once again. 

“Chihiro, go back to sleep,” He commanded. I open my mouth to protest, but he beat me to the punch. “You’ll only get worse if you try to expend any strength. You need every last bit to recover from today.” Nagisa’s face morphed into one of confusion. 

“What do you mean ‘recover from today’?” He asks. “I don’t recall anything that would be physically straining…” He trailed off. Nagisa sent me a pointed look as we started to move again. “You should probably go back to sleep like Karma said.” With a gentle smile, he faces forward again and continues walking.

\---

The gentle rocking of the steady walking pace Karma set woos Chihiro to close her eyes and fall asleep once again in her weakened state. In hushed whispers and tones, Nagisa confirms his suspicions as to why Chihiro had developed a fever in the middle of the day. 

The walk up the mountain in the morning was much more than Chihiro had anticipated the night before. With the amount of sleep she regularly gets, which isn’t much, she likely overworked herself just making her way up the mountain at the same pace as Nagisa and the others, even lagging behind a few feet. The altitude difference was also a likely contributor, but the two boys couldn’t determine anything solid other than the previously mentioned conditions. Partnered with the (large) amount of coding and (minimal number of) literature worksheets she’d done while the other students were training… ‘Yes.’ The two boys thought. ‘She’s definitely overworked herself today.’

Within a few minutes the students reach the foot of the mountain and attempt to discreetly make their way to the train station where they would then go to Chihiro’s house to drop her off. They were almost past the school gate when the dominant and imposing presence of Asano Gakushuu brushed past them. With narrowing eyes and a scowl on his face, his gaze met Karma’s in a challenge. A smirk grew on Karma’s face as he accepted. He stuck his the tip of his tongue out at the challenge and tightened his grip on Chihiro’s thighs in an attempt to irritate the stiff student. Gakushuu’s eyes twitch once more before he clicks his tongue and accepts a very reluctant and temporary defeat.


	10. Chapter 10

Nagisa and Karma made their way to Chihiro’s home with little difficulty. In fact, due to Nagisa’s many visits to her house during their second year, they got there relatively quickly. Now standing outside of the gate leading to Chihiro’s house, Karma let out a low whistle. “Lead the way, Nagisa,” he said. Nagisa nodded and gently opened the gate. The creaking of the gate swished by Chihiro’s ears making her stir lightly. Karma hoisted her back up and secured his arms under her knees once again. 

Nagisa walks up to the door and tentatively rings the doorbell. He takes a small step back to wait for someone to answer. Several thumps and a fast paced clacking noise sounded from behind the door. “That must be Yukina-san and Akiko,” Nagisa said. The clicking of the lock being opened and the sight of a tired man performing the action was not what Nagisa was expecting.

“Ah! Who are you, and why do you have my darling daughter on your back?!” The man, Ichihara Shigeru, started yelling. His hands ran through his hair with furrowed brows. “You can’t possibly be a boyfriend, could you? Chi-chan is too young to start thinking of boys! She shouldn’t even be thinking about boys! She’s already-”

“Ichihara-sama!” Yukina makes her way into the doorway with her hands on her hips. “What are you doing?” She pulls the lanky man back by his collar and throws him back inside. “Don’t scare our guests away, okay? Now take a moment to think about what you’ve done!” Closing the door behind her, she looks at the boys with a cheerful grin on her face.

“Um, Yukina-san…?” Nagisa asks with his eyebrows raised and his eyes wide. 

“Ora, Nagisa-kun!” Nagisa’s eyes widened a fraction at the mention of his name.

“Yukina-san, you remember who I am?” He asks.

“Of course! How could I not?” Her gaze shifted to land on Karma. “And you brought a new friend with you too!” Her smile widened a bit more seeing Chihiro supported by his back. “She was always really happy whenever you came over to study with her. In fact, she would talk about you guys a lot! She opened up a lot more after she met you guys.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt you, but do you know who I am?” Karma cut off the cheerful rambling. 

“Of course I know! Akabane Karma-san, right?” Yukina drew her finger up to poke at Chihiro’s head gently. “Chihiro-sama talked about you a lot too. Troublemaker, violent, likes her cookies, truly kind at heart, etcetera.” The two boys felt their eyes twitch at the list. 

“Chihiro-chan really talks about us a lot huh…” Nagisa mumbled.

“Yep, in fact, she was emoting a lot more than she usually does yesterday. I assume that’s because of you guys.” Amidst the mild chatter, Chihiro gently opens her eyes to see where she is now.

\---

Where am I right now? I open my eyes to see the profile of Nagisa’s neutral face. I lift my head up to see Yukina smiling at me. “Chihiro-sama! Welcome home!” Karma turns his head and shifts his vision to look at me with a grin. Nagisa turns too. 

“What did I miss…?” I gently move to rub the sleep out of my eyes and move to get off of Karma’s back. I smooth out my wrinkled skirt and shake my head to chase away any remnants of drowsiness.

“Your dad answered the door,” Karma replies. “He freaked out a bit and then Yukina-san stepped in.” 

“You did mention before that he’s a bit… energetic,” Nagisa adds.

“Mhm,” Yukina huffs. “He was overreacting like he usually does to anything to do with you.” She crosses her arms and puts a smile back on her face. “Now why don’t you all come in. It’s been a couple of minutes, so Ichihara-sama should be less… agitated.” We all nod and let Yukina lead the way inside. We walk down the hall and make a left turn at the end the hall. With stairs on the left and the dining room, Yukina made an abrupt stop and swiftly turns around. With a cheerful tone, she gives Karma and Nagisa the directions to the living room before pushing me up the stairs. 

“What? Why?” I whine. Yukina ignores my complaints and continues to relentlessly push me up. 

“You, young lady need to rest.”

“But I-” 

“Chihiro-chan, you should rest some more.” Nagisa cut my complaint off with a firm gentleness. Karma nods in agreement.

With his signature smirk on his face, Karma decides to fan the flames of worry beginning to etch itself on Yukina’s face. “You were worn out by the hike up the mountain, and with you not getting enough sleep, you passed out in class.” Yukina let out a gasp before going back to pushing me up the stairs. This time, scolding me at the same time. 

“Young lady, you are going to sleep for at least nine hours today!”

\---

With Chihiro tucked into bed and Akiko snuggled beside her, Yukina let out a huff of exasperation. As she walks out of the room, she casts one last worried glance at Chihiro. “She really needs to rest more…” she murmurs. She lets out one last sigh before heading to the kitchen to prepare tea.

Making her way down the stairs she notices Shigeru walking towards Chihiro’s room. “She’s in bed right now, but I doubt she’ll really sleep unless you tell her to,” Yukina whispers. Shigeru nods and continues on his way to see his daughter. “Also, come and greet the boys who brought her home,” she adds. The CEO just sighs and whines out a reluctant okay. 

Once he gets to his darling daughter’s bedroom door, Shigeru takes a deep breath before walking in. The first thing he sees is Chihiro playing with Akiko’s paws (read as: toe beans). “Chi-chan!” he exclaims. “You should be sleeping!” Chihiro turns her head to look at him with furrowed brows.

“I can’t,” she replies. The tired girl lets go of her cat and sits up. “I’m too nervous to sleep right now.”

“What do you mean you’re too nervous to sleep right now?” Shigeru cries. “You hiked up a mountain today!”

“We have guests in the house and you’re too energetic to know how to deal with them.”

“What! Chi-chan you should trust your papa more!”

“Then meet them in a civilized manner.” 

“...”

“Do it.”

“...”

“...”

“...fine…”

\---

As Karma and Nagisa sit in the living room waiting for Yukina to come in with tea, they looked around the lavishly decorated living room. The walls are colored a nice, light beige and tall windows are framed by white chiffon curtains. A brown suede, L-shaped couch sat several feet from the entrance to the room. Opposite the corner of the couch is a plush loveseat of the same color. In between the two is a cherry coffee table with a few magazines on top. A large flat screen TV is mounted above a neat fireplace. The mantle is lined with pictures of Chihiro and her father. Several of them feature a beautiful woman holding a baby Chihiro with a bright smile on her face. 

“Chihiro-chan never talked about her family very much did she?” Karma murmurs. “She only really mentioned them when we asked.”

“Chi-chan always seems so embarrassed when she brings people over,” Shigeru’s sudden appearance jolts the two boys sitting on the couch. He sighs and flops into the love seat. “Not that she brings people over that much anyway.” His pouty attitude makes him sink further into the seat. 

Yukina walks in with a tray of tea in her hands. “Ichihara-sama,” she exclaimed. “Chihiro-sama asked for you to meet the boys in a civilized matter!” The maid places the tea down on the coffee table. “You aren’t going to go back on your word are you?” The pouting CEO flinches as her blunt words shoot sharp arrows through him. 

With a groan, Shigeru pulls himself back up to face the two shocked middle school boys. “Thank you for bringing Chihiro home safely,” he runs a hand through his hair. “I always worry about her when I’m away.”

“Chihiro-chan helped me out a lot in school, and she’s our friend, so it’s not that much trouble,” Nagisa stammers. The blue haired boy’s voice wavers at the prestigious man’s grateful actions. 

“Yeah, we’ve known her since around the middle of first year,” Karma jumped into the conversation. “She can be slightly worrisome sometimes. I’ve had to take her to the infirmary before.”

Shigeru’s eyes narrow. “Chi-chan has always been weak. That’s why I decided to send her to Kunugigaoka.”


	11. Chapter 11

Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong 

Shigeru lifts his chin from his palm. “It’s getting late,” he states. “You boys should head home.” He pushes himself up from the plush loveseat with a sigh. Nagisa and Karma follow his movements and allow the older man to guide them back to the front door. Nagisa thanks Shigeru for his hospitality and steps out. Karma offers a nod in respect, and moves to follow his blue haired companion. Just as he set one foot over the threshold of the door, a blur of fluff and white crashes into Karma’s leg. 

“Akiko!” Shigeru cries. The distressed man crouches down to lift the cat away from the startled boy. Akiko’s claws dug into Karma’s pants with no chance of letting go without tearing the pant leg some new holes. Shigeru sighs and lets the cat go. “Go upstairs and turn right,” he instructs. “The second door to your left is her room.”

“What should I do about the cat?” Karma asks. 

“She’ll let go once you show that you aren’t leaving,” the CEO runs a hand through his hair and rests one on his hip. “Akiko won’t let you leave till you go up and see her.” He shrugs. “She’s stubborn like that.” Karma shrugs and steps back before telling Nagisa to go ahead of him. 

“Alright cat,” Karma places his bag down and looks at the disgruntled ragamuffin. “Take me to Snow White will ya?” Akiko lets out a small meow before trotting to the staircase. Her claws click against the hardwood floor with a methodical rhythm. The clicks turn silent as she jumps onto the first carpeted step to wait for the red haired boy trailing behind her. Akiko then shoots up the stairs with light paws and sits at the top to wait once again. “You’re pretty energetic for an old cat aren’t you?” Karma murmurs, noting the white fur on her muzzle. He makes his way up the stairs quickly and boops Akiko on the nose. Her eyes widen and narrow as she sneezes in response. Karma chuckles softly at her response before turning right. Akiko’s tail flicks with annoyance as she stands to follow the irritating boy.

When Karma reaches the second door to his left, his brow furrows. The concerned look on his face intensifies as he steps into the dark room. Akiko slips past his legs to leap up onto Chihiro’s bed. A meow pulls him in. 

Long drapes are pulled over the windows keeping most of the natural light out. A large four poster bed occupies most of the room, and on it is a nervous Akiko poking at a shivering lump in the blankets. Karma takes a few steps toward the bed before calling out her name.

“Chihiro?”

\---

It’s dark. 

It’s so dark. 

Their voices are loud. 

My wrists hurt. 

The ropes are really tight. 

Mama...

“That wasn’t part of the plan you dumbass!”

What are they talking about? Where are they taking me?

“Just hurry up man! They’re gonna call the police!”

I can hear a car. It’s really loud. I’m scared. 

“Make sure the other guys demand the ransom.”

It’s okay. Mama and Papa will find me. Mama…

“Mama…”

“Shut-up you little bitch!”

My cheek hurts. He hit me.

“They won’t pay it they’ll just try to find us!”

Tears are soaking the thing on my head.

“It doesn’t matter! We’ll just sell her before they find us!”

The nice people in the uniforms will find me soon.

“Yeah, with those eyes there’s no way we can sell her cheap.”

Why are they talking about my eyes? 

“Definitely gonna make her cost a pretty penny.”

The car is speeding up. 

“Dude hurry up!”

I can barely stay still.

“I can’t control the car if I try to go any faster.”

The car is slowing down.

“What the fuck didn’t you get gas this morning?!”

The car has stopped.

“Grab the girl!”

The doors are open. Someone’s grabbed me. It hurts.

“Shit, the police are here!”

People are shouting. I’m scared, Mama.

“Move bitch!’

We’re in another car.

“Hurry up!”

I can hear the sirens. 

“...hiro…”

I can hear loud bangs. 

“Chi….”

The car is swerving.   
The men are yelling again.   
I’m scared.   
Mama…

“Chihiro!”

\---

My eyes shoot open and I see Karma leaning over me. My limbs feel heavy, but I still manage to pull him down into a hug. I can hear him protest for a second before I tighten my grip. “Please stay…” I quietly beg. “Please…”

\---

Her frail arms wrap around my neck with an unpredictable strength. I can feel her body pressing against mine. I can feel tears leaking onto my shoulder. She’s crying. I tentatively wrap my arms around her. My face is heating up and my heart is beating really hard. I wonder if she can feel it. This intense feeling. 

“Are you okay…?” I ask. I can feel her shake her head no and bury her face into my neck. I can smell her hair. It’s… kinda nice. Like flowers…? Roses maybe?

“Please just stay with me…” Her voice is so quiet and frail. Vulnerable. How this girl has survived the main campus is baffling. Her tears are falling faster now. Her breathing is also getting faster. “I’m sorry, Karma…” I frown and pull her closer. “I’m-”

“Don’t,” I firmly interrupt her. “Don’t worry about it.”

“But your-”

“I said don’t worry about it,” I murmur. A purr erupts from Akiko as she shoves her head in between our bodies. Chihiro pulls away and looks down at the aggravating furball. 

“Hey, Aki…” Chihiro’s arms come down and go to pick Akiko up. The purring increases as Chihiro begins to rub her ears. I swear that cat gave me the smuggest look ever. I feel my eyes narrowing in response as a tight feeling grows in my chest.

“She’s the one who refused to let me leave,” Karma grumbles. “Almost tore a hole in my pants…” Chihiro glances up at me before looking down at her cat and back at me. A giggle escapes her mouth. 

“Are you jealous?” I can feel my face heating up and I open my mouth to retort. 

“ALRIGHT!” Chihiro’s dad bursts in with gusto and wraps his arms around Chihiro. “That’s enough feels for today!” 

“Papa!” Chihiro groans. 

“Chi-chan you’re too young to start dating anyone!” Another groan of embarrassment emerges from Chihiro’s cute red face. The tall man releases his daughter from his arms and pushes me out of the room calling for Yukina to show me out of the house.

After a quick yet sincere apology, I find myself standing outside of the house with a slight grin on my face. I let out a tired sigh before taking the first steps toward home.


	12. Chapter 12

My thoughts swirl through the room as I lie in complete silence. The frustration burning through me keeps me tossing and turning. Why is it that she left my side? She belongs with me! Not with those useless dropouts. I run a hand through my hair and sigh heavily. I’ll get her back once exams come around. I’ll teach her how weak class E is.

\---

Sunlight is beginning to peek through the curtains in soft streamers and the air is still. The large lump on the large bed in the large room is beginning to stir. Ichihara Chihiro pushes the heavy blanket off of her body and looks at her alarm clock before sinking back into the warmth of her sheets. “I really don’t want to get up today Akiko…” she whines. The fluffy cat at the foot of the bed yawns before padding over to her owner. “Akiko~” Chihiro continues to whine. 

The alarm clock goes off with loud piercing beeps, jolting the girl out of her lazy reverie. Chihiro quickly scrambles up to silence the annoyance before it can get louder and reach the others resting in the house. The silence that greets her is welcoming as Chihiro finally gathers the strength to get up and get ready for a new day in her kind-of-new class. With the anticipation starting to build, she rushes over to the bathroom with a grin on her face. 

After finishing her short morning routine of brushing her teeth and hair, Chihiro bounces out of the bathroom with a cheerful vibe. She picks up her laptop and her unfinished homework before rushing down the stairs with an equally energized Akiko past a surprised Yukina carrying her pressed uniform. “Ah! Chihiro-sama-”

“Good morning, Yukina!” Chihiro calls. “You can leave my uniform on my bed!” She makes her way to the dining room to see Shigure reading the paper with two plates of breakfast on the table. The tall man looks up from his paper at his daughter and greets her with a smile. Chihiro offers him a smile in return and gives him a kiss on the cheek. 

“Did you sleep well last night?” Shigeru asks. Chihiro nods and starts to eat her eggs. Shigeru hums and takes a sip of his coffee before looking back down at his paper.

“Papa, I want to start walking to school.” The CEO chokes on his water before looking at Chihiro with large, bewildered eyes. 

“What do you mean you want to walk to school?” he asks, absolutely confounded. 

“I mean, that I want to start walking to school,” Chihiro repeats. Shigeru frowns and puts his paper down.

“Why do you want to walk to school?” he asks. Chihiro looks down at her plate with a tentative look on her face. She takes a deep breath before looking back up into her father’s eyes.

\---

Akabane Karma is standing in front of my house with a grin and his bag slung over his shoulder. “Morning, Sleeping Beauty,” he waves.

“I told you to stop giving me weird nicknames,” I groan. Karma ruffles my hair with his free hand. A gasp emerges from behind me and long arms pull me away from the doorway. 

“What are you doing here you ruffian?!” Papa’s voice comes from above me and I look up at him with annoyance. I push his arms away from me and take his hands into my own.

“Karma-kun is going to walk me to school, remember what I told you?” Papa looks at Karma with skeptical eyes and then at me. He pulls me aside before whispering in my ear.

“Are you sure that you want him to walk you to school?” Papa looks back at a grinning Karma before continuing. “Why can’t you wait for Gakushuu-kun?” I sigh and pull away once more before frowning at him and crossing my arms.

“Papa I’m 14 years old now and I’m not a kid,” I pout. “You let me join class E on my own, so why can’t I walk to school with someone of my choice?” I can see Papa’s skepticism beginning to break down into tolerance. “Please?” I beg. Papa sighs once more before nodding.

“Alright,” Papa finally caves in. He walks back over to Karma and runs a hand through his messy hair. “Make sure that Chihiro doesn’t fall asleep in the middle of the road.” Karma nods before responding. I leave to go grab my bag and lunch with anticipation building up in my chest. Right before I get to the door, Papa rushes toward me with a panicked look on his face. “Chi-chan you can’t go with him!” 

“Eh?!” I back up little before dodging his outstretched arms. “Why? You just said that I could go!” Papa grasps my shoulders and shakes me with fervor. I continue to protest, but he interrupts me.

“That boy has nefarious intentions, I just know it,” Papa whispers. “He gives off the same vibe as one of those… those…delinquents that hang around town…” He continues to mumble about danger and “my little girl” and other things. Papa doesn’t need to worry so much. He should just trust and respect my decisions!

I sigh once more before making my way over to Karma’s side. He looks kinda spooked, but Papa can’t have done anything too bad. “Let’s go before Papa decides to lock me up inside,” I murmur. I pull my shoes on quickly and grab Karma’s arm to rush outside. I lock the door with my keys and we rush past the gate with glee. 

We continue to rush down the street and slow down once we turn the corner. My lungs are heaving, but I can’t seem to hold back the small tickles at my throat. I bend over clutching my stomach. “Chihiro-chan?” Karma turns to look at me with a slightly furrowed brow. The tickles erupt into laughter as a rush of energy runs through me. 

\---

I poke Chihiro’s shoulder and remind her that we need to get to the train station if we want to get to school on time. Her grin widens and she nods in response. As we walk along the road, Chihiro lets out a few peeps of ecstatic laughter. She’s like a little baby bird just now learning about the world outside of its nest. When I think about it now, she’s never smiled this much in the couple of years we’ve known each other. 

We get to the station before rush hour, so the subway isn’t too crowded. Most of the passengers are students with their heads in the books or looking at their phones. Chihiro just gazes out the window as the city passes by our eyes. Her eyes are wide with wonder as she gazes at the large buildings and the shopping areas. Her hair is still a little messy from the running we did, and the excitement has died down, but her eyes still glittering with happiness. I can feel my own lips starting to twitch into a smile.

We get to school with a good amount of time left for us to climb the mountain at a reasonable pace. There are several students arriving at the same time, and I can feel their glares shooting into my back. I flash a smirk in their direction and move to walk towards the mountain when I’m stopped. I feel a tug on my jacket and turn to see Chihiro starting to grow sleepy. “Hey,” I murmur, “Chihiro-chan, you can’t fall asleep when we aren’t even on the mountain yet.” Chihiro jolts out of her drowsy trance with her face blooming into a bright red flush. 

“Sorry!” She cries. She was supposed to get a lot of sleep last night, but I’m assuming that she ignored Yukina and still got up in the middle of the night. I open my mouth to ask her about it when I’m interrupted by a smooth tenor. 

“Chihiro,” I turn to see the boy with strawberry blond hair and an irritated expression. Beside me, said girl gasps and darts toward him with a small grin. 

“Shuu-kun!” Her arms wrap around the boy’s neck as she hugs him. My chest tightens at the sight of the two embracing so closely. They don’t even use formalities with each other. As they converse with whatever he called her over for I turn away for a moment only to hear Chihiro getting scolded.

“Why didn’t you wait for me this morning?” 

“I wanted to start walking to school…”

“You should have told me and I would have escorted you.”

“But I wanted to be-”

“It doesn’t matter. You’re already in the E class.”

“That-

“I don’t want you to interact with those vermin for longer than you have to. They’ll have a bad influence on you.” He continues to berate her for leaving the house before he got there and insulting the E class along with it. I return my gaze to the two getting ready to defend the small girl when I get pushed toward the mountain gate by two small hands. I look down at her to see pursed lips and watering eyes. 

“Chihiro-chan…” I let her push and pull me towards the gate with little resistance. Before I know it we’re on the path and Chihiro is burying her face into my chest. I hesitantly wrap my arms around her in return. I don’t really know how I’m supposed to comfort people. Especially not cute, crying girls who just got yelled at by angry, sour faced boys. 

“He has no right to be so mean to you guys,” Chihiro cries. As she keeps talking, her arms tighten around me. “He doesn’t know what you guys have to go through…” I gently pat her back before trying to come up with something comforting.

“Karma-kun, Chihiro-chan…?”

\---

Shiota Nagisa was walking to school with the hope that he would not run into any trouble. It’s not uncommon for main campus students to bully the students of the E-as-in-end class. Former classmates and even their underclassmen look at them with scorn ingrained deep in their eyes. If he had friends with him, then it might not be so bad. However, today, he is alone. 

When Nagisa arrives at school, there’s a slight commotion going on near the front gate. It’s nothing serious, but whispers are traveling around the schoolyard with lighting speed. Something obviously happened, so the only question left on the table is what. He decides to avoid finding the answer to that question as he quickly makes use of this elusive “what” as a distraction to make his way to the mountain gate. It’s then that he discovers what “what” is.

“Karma-kun, Chihiro-chan…?” The blue haired boy is now quietly pondering on what event could have possibly occurred for the small girl to hold onto the troublemaker while crying her eyes out. Karma appears to be quite conflicted about what to do in this particular situation, as he is now gesturing for help in comforting the sobbing girl in his arms. The blue haired boy rushes over to the two, only to hear that Chihiro’s sobs are slowing down. Karma simply wraps his arms around the slumping girl and attempts to get her on his back. Nagisa grabs their bags and helps Karma get Chihiro turned around.

“Thanks, Nagisa,” Karma says as he hoists the now sleeping girl onto his back. “Some guy started to yell at her the moment we walked through the school gates.” Nagisa is taken aback as Karma continues to talk through what happened earlier.

“Why would someone do that,” Nagisa murmurs as he mulls over the situation. 

“He said something about Chihiro-chan waiting for him to get her,” Karma adds. “He looked really mad about it too.” The two boys grow quiet as a few sniffles interrupt their conversation. 

“Let’s talk about it later,” Nagisa whispers. Karma agrees with a gentle nod. The girl had been nearly inconsolable just minutes before. The only reason she stopped crying was because she had tired herself out, and the two boys did not want to risk waking her up.


	13. Chapter 13

The darkness is suffocating. There’s a ringing in my ears. People are yelling. I think. I can hear loud noises again. Are those sirens? My arm hurts. Something sharp is hurting me. Mama, make it stop. Mama, what’s happening. Are you okay? Papa, where are you?

\---

Karma gently nudges Chihiro’s bony shoulder. They’d arrived at the satellite campus not long ago, and Karasuma-sensei was about to make an announcement. The tiny girl sat up and looked around in confusion. “Chihiro-chan, are you okay?” The sleepy girl looks up at Karma with confusion. “You’re still crying,” he explains. Tears are still dripping down her cheeks.

“Ah,” she mutters. She uses her sleeve to wipe them away and mutters, “it was probably a bad dream.” Karma nods turns back to the front of the classroom where Karasuma is standing. Chihiro glances her bag to see the corner of her hard-drive is sticking out. She immediately pulls it out, along with her laptop, and boots everything up. When the door opens to reveal Koro-sensei with a new attachment, she’s already tapping away on her code. 

“Allow me to introduce the new foreign language teacher,” Karasuma begins, “she just arrived today.”

“Nice to meet you everyone!” the buxom blonde hugging the yellow teacher enthusiastically greets the class. “My name is Irina Jelavic.” Chihiro glances up for a moment to mutter something under her breath before getting back to work. Everyone else can’t seem to take their attention off of her, or rather, the extreme display of affection she has for their wiggling teacher. 

“The school’s intention is to fully immerse the students in a foreign language,” Karasuma explains, “I assume there won’t be any problems with you if she takes over half of the English classes.” Koro-sensei glances at the gym teacher and shrugs.

"I guess it can’t be helped then,” he sighs. The rest of the students are waiting in anticipation to see if this interaction could reveal another weakness. For a moment, there doesn’t appear to be one, but…

“What a straightforward expression…” Kayano whispers after seeing Korosensei’s flushed face. Nagisa nods and begins to write in his notebook.

“Humans are like that too.”

Korosensei’s weakness number 5: Boobs

The only sounds left in the classroom were the rapid tapping of a keyboard and Irina Jelavic openly admiring Korosensei’s inhuman physique.

\---

The first half of the day ended without incident. It was during break time that everyone was more active. As the students filtered out of the room with their anti-sensei knives and guns and hand, Chihiro sat at her desk pondering whether or not she could weasel her way out of the activity.

Assassination Soccer.

The newly patented sport included kicking soccer balls around Korosensei and using his moments of supposed distraction to shoot a bullet at him that most likely wouldn’t hit. It’s certainly not Chihiro’s preferred method of helping with the assassination, as she would much rather spend her time producing the code that would help them in the long run.

Karasuma notices the girl still sitting in her seat and walks over with suspicions already brewing in his thoughts as to what the girl was about to attempt. “Karasuma-sensei…” Chihiro begins to pull at the bottom of her shirt. “Could I possibly-”

“No, you cannot,” Karasuma interrupts his student.

“But I didn’t even say what I wanted to do!” Chihiro indignantly cries. She crosses her arms and pouts at the tall man. 

“I can’t let you skip all physical activity whenever you want to, Chihiro-san,” Karasuma groans and rubs his temples. 

“Even if it’s for the greater good?” Chihiro pleads. She crosses her fingers and looks up at him with wide eyes. Karasuma sighs and pats her head. 

“Think of it as an enrichment opportunity,” he reasons, “you’ll need to start building your stamina sooner or later, so you might as well start now. You can even start getting to know everyone and apply that to your program.”

“...fine.” Chihiro concedes to the logic and pulls herself out of her seat. 

Irina Jelavic walks by the classroom and glances at the lingering student. She feels mild pity for the small girl, having to go out in such hot weather and work. It’s certainly not the kind of work that she’s used to or approves of girls doing, but it’s a necessity in the industry. Chihiro turns and notices the new teacher and disregards her presence by walking out of the room. A twitch ticks at Irina’s eyelid at the blatant disrespect by a student. 

“Don’t mind her,” Karasuma says as he leans against the door frame. “She’s just grumpy she can’t work on her code all the time.” Irina glances at the defense ministry rep and nods before turning her attention to the students outside. More specifically, what they’re doing with their target. They watch as the short girl joins her classmates in attempting to assassinate their teacher. 

“I had prepared a variety of ways to get closer to him, but…” Irina gazes at the figure darting around the field. “...I never would have thought that turning the charm on would work so well.”

“Yeah,” Karasuma replies. “I never would have expected that either.” He glances at the female teacher, who pulls a cigarette out and lights it. The smoke curls around her as she inhales and pulls the cancer stick from her lips. “The school hiring a hitman is problematic enough, so please make sure you take the role of a teacher seriously,” Karasuma advises. “Adding on to that, please don’t smoke in the building. It could cause problems for some of our students.”

“Of course, not that this will last long. I’m a professional after all.”

\---

“Ah, it’s so hot out today…” Chihiro drawls as she drags her feet across the grassy field. Korosensei is standing in the midst of flying soccer balls and bullets. Her classmates are shouting out their actions and shooting at their target. 

“Chihiro-chan, the more you complain, the hotter it feels, you know that right?” Nagisa’s exasperation is almost tangible as he watches his friend struggle to dribble the soccer ball. She flutters around for a moment before suddenly kicking the ball at the teacher and shooting a bullet right as the ball reaches Korosensei. 

“Assassinate!” she calls out. Korosensei turns and knocks the ball away only to be greeted with a bullet right after. He panics and dodges it as fast as he can. 

“Wah! Ichihara-san’s first assassination attempt was quite frightening,” he exclaims. He turns around only to see the girl running off to find shade. “AH! Where do you think you’re going!”

“Chihiro-chan’s stamina sucks, Korosensei,” Karma says as he kicks a ball up. “So you might as well pay attention to the rest of us.” A few others agree as they continue the exercise. 

Just then, Irina steps out of the school, calling out to the As she passes by Chihiro, the girl catches a whiff of smoke. She immediately stops in her tracks and looks back at the blonde woman. Something didn’t feel quite right. 

\---

Chihiro turns pale as soon as the new teacher walks by. I make my way over to her as no one is making any moves. As reach her side, I can see her shivering. She’s caving in on herself and holding her elbows. “Chihiro,” I murmur near her ear. She looks up at me and grasps onto my shirt. The blondie is pulling some weird shit with Korosensei and he zooms off to Vietnam with a blush on his face. I wrap my arms around her and tell her she’s safe. She nods and lets go. 

“So, Irina...sensei?” Isogai guesses. “Class will be starting soon, so should we return to the classroom?”

“Class? Ah, right, you all can do whatever you want,” the bitch lights a cigarette. “Also, could you stop addressing me by my first name?” She exhales a puff of smoke. “I have no intention of playing the part of teacher unless it’s in front of that octopus.

Call me Jelavic-oneesama.”

I turn around with a smirk already splitting my face. “So…” I step in front of Chihiro. “What now, Bitch-neesan?” She whips an arm out and points at me accusingly.

“Don’t shorten it!” Her screeching is kind of amusing.

“You’re a professional killer, right?” I ask. “Will you really be able to take out that monster alone when the whole class can’t kill him with their combined efforts?” The Bitch saunters towards Nagisa, blabbing on about how adults are different from us “brats.”

“You’re Shiota Nagisa, right?” She reaches out to him and brings her face close to his. 

\---

The sound of Kayano yelling snaps me out of my mind. “Whaaaa!” I sneak a peek over Karma’s shoulder to see the new teacher… is she kissing him? Poor Nagisa seems defeated as he slumps into the teacher’s chest. 

“Come to the faculty office after this,” she orders. “I want to hear all the information you have on this guy. Either way, I have plenty of ways to make you talk.” She drops Nagisa after that and waves at the rest of us. We’re all absolutely speechless. “If anyone else has any useful information, come and tell me.” Three men appear out of nowhere carrying large cases and other equipment. “I’m doing all of you a favor okay? I’ll even lend some manpower to the girls.

A professional’s job lies in having both skill and personal connections. You brats should sit quietly on the sidelines and watch. And, if anyone gets in the way of my assassination mission even a little bit,” one of the men hands her a small, golden pistol. 

“I’ll kill you.”

The tension is thick enough to slice with a knife. Watching this... this hussy take over this class. It makes me hate her.

And I’m sure I’m not the only one.


	14. Chapter 14

The classroom is completely silent. With the words “self study” written on the board, no one really knows what direction to go in. All eyes are on the newly dubbed “Bitch-neesan.” Her feet are propped up on the podium as she taps away at her tablet. The sound of her nails are sharp, almost frustrated. Her brow furrows as she tries to reconnect to the school’s network. “Ugh, the reception here is terrible,” she mumbles. A couple impatient sighs emerge from the students waiting on their English lesson. 

Finally, someone speaks up, “Oi, Bitch-neesan,” Maehara calls out, “start the lesson already!” Irina slumps backward in her chair before the whole class begins to shout at the complete disregard their, supposed, teacher is showing for their education. 

“Quit it with all the “Bitch, Bitch” stuff!” she yells. “First of all, the pronunciation is completely different,” she lectures. “-Vic is a suffix included in Slavic names, meaning “child of.” Bitch is an unpleasant woman, a lewd woman, or a female dog. You Japanese people just don’t have any distinction between a “b” and a “v”!” She huffs and stands up with her hands on her hips. “I’ll teach you the right way to say it. First, bite down on your lower lip lightly!” Everyone is slightly hesitant to do so, but they can’t do anything about it. “C’mon now!” They concede to the lesson and lightly bite down on their lower lip. “Good, now spend the rest of the hour doing that.” 

Anger brews within every student. Their faces tense and twitch at the absolute incompetence of this professional assassin. 

\---

Karasuma’s eyes narrow as he confronts Irina. “I heard you brought in a suspicious three man group. I hadn’t heard about this,” he crosses his arms. The annoyed looking teacher just answers him dismissively.

“That’s right,” she replies as she flips her long hair over her shoulder. “They, are skilled, discrete professionals. They’re also quite attached to me, at my beck and call, completely free of charge.” She smirks. “Thanks to their help, preparations have already finished. I’ll do it today.”

Just as their conversation finishes up, Korosensei returns from his trip. “Irina-sensei!” His eagerness to please the new teacher is quite evident in his smitten tone and rosy cheeks. Bearing a thermos with a steaming liquid, Korosensei proudly pours some out and presents it to her. “Some chai from India, like you requested!”

“Oh my!” Irina crosses her fingers in gratitude as she gazes at her target. “Thank you, Korosensei! I’d wanted to have an afternoon tea time!” Her happy go lucky facade then evolves into one more seductive. She grasps onto his arm with one hand and places another on his chest. “Putting that aside, Korosensei, I’d like to talk to you about something.” She leans in a little more. “Would you come to the storage shed with me during fifth period?”

Korosensei wholeheartedly agrees.

\---

With the way Bitch-neesan is “teaching” this class, tension from outside is gaining steam in here. I might as well do some work, otherwise I’m just wasting time here. I pull my laptop out of my bag and start typing within the minute. It’s not like I can learn anything new from this or anything she tries really. I glance at Karma with his hands folded behind his head. He looks annoyed with how Bitch-neesan is running the class. Even I feel mildly indignant. It’s only a few minutes later that Karasuma-sensei walks in and pulls Bitch-neesan away. The tension breaks for a moment and I release I sigh of relief. I shut the lid of my laptop and pull out my English notes from the main campus and stand up. “If anyone needs extra notes for English I have some from when I was at the main campus,” everyone reacts to me in the stony silence. Their eyes are still intense, but they also seem tired. Nagisa’s face is the first one that breaks out of the mold. 

“That would be helpful, Chihiro-chan,” he says. Everyone else’s faces relax a bit more and I walk up to the board to begin writing them in chalk. As she writes, everyone starts copying them. 

“Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification,” I say. People nod and keep jotting down notes. After a few minutes of writing, Sugino-san raises his hand. I pause and look at him. “Yes?”

“I was wondering, um, could you clarify what you mean by FANBOYS?” The capital letters line the bottom of the black board. 

“It’s an acronym for remembering coordinating conjunctions, For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So,” I answer. The look on his face betrays his confusion as his arms falls just a little. “They’re words that can connect two sentences. An example is,” I write on the board, “I baked cookies today. My brother ate all of them. These two sentences are independent clauses, but they can be connected with one of the FANBOYS words.” Beside the capital letters I write down the corresponding words. “If I was to connect these two independent clauses, I would need to use one of these words and a comma. So the sentence would become, “I baked cookies today, and my brother ate all of them.” Does that make sense?” I finish writing the sentence and turn back to see Sugino nod and begin to rapidly copy it in his notes with an almost enlightened look on his face.

I left the sentences on the board while I filled the rest of the black board. As most of the class jots notes down, I notice Korosensei return from his expedition to Vietnam. But then, he’s talking about chai from India? He must be forgetful to be asked for Vietnamese coffee and return with chai from India. 

“Ichihara-san,” I turn to see the girl with blonde hair and blue eyes raising her hand. I struggle to put a name to her bright face.

“Um, I’m sorry I don’t seem to remember getting your name…” I put my hand to my chin.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, I don’t think I ever introduced myself either,” she laughs. “Nakamura Rio, I was just wondering, why would you willingly come to 3-E knowing it would include assassinating a yellow alien that’ll destroy the world next year?” I look at her with a smile before answering.

“I’ve never really been able to do anything on my own. My whole life I’ve been dependent on other people, mostly the Chairman’s family, outside of my own.” I look down at my feet. “I guess I wanted to be free of that, but I also want to be of help to those who’ve helped me the most these past few years.” The sound of sniffling and scribbling emerges from the door. Everyone turns to see Korosensei wiping at his eyes with a handkerchief and frantically writing in a notebook. 

“Sensei is so glad you’ve decided to join us for these reasons,” he bawls and blows his nonexistent nose in his handkerchief. “Also, it’s time for fifth period, so please change into your PE uniforms.”

\---

After everyone got changed and began to work on their target practice, Muramatsu pointed towards the storage shed. He points and says incredulously, “Is this for real?” Everyone looks up at the shed. “Those two are shaking up at the storage shed.”

“I’m kinda disappointed that Korosensei would get reeled in by such a transparent woman…” someone mutters.

“Karasuma-sensei,” Kataoka Megu looks at the P.E. teacher with a discontent expression. “We just can’t bring ourselves to like that woman.” Karasuma glances at the students surrounding him before apologizing. 

“Sorry, the government instructed us to let her handle this as a professional,” he directs his attention back to the storage shed. “Still, there’s no denying that she’s a top class hitwoman. The level of skill she possesses to finish preparations in one day proves that.” 

Then the shooting started. 

It lasts for ten seconds, and then strange noises ensue. A sharp cry of “Nooooo!” and squishy noises emerge from the old shed. Everyone turns silent, straining their ears to hear what could be one of the most scandalous assassination attempts so far. Chihiro walks up to Karma, gets up on her tippy toes, and covers his ears.

“Children don’t need to hear such obscene noises.”

“You’re one to talk, Chihiro-chan,” he retorts.

The noises continue and with two more cries, the students can’t take it anymore. “Those schooping sounds are incredibly persistent!” 

“Let’s go take a look!”

When they reach the storage shed, Korosensei is already coming out, wiping sweat off his forehead with patches decorating his academic dress.

“Korosensei,” Nagisa calls, “What happened to the breast lady?”

“My, I wanted to have a little more fun, but having class with you all is so much more enjoyable,” the yellow teacher replies. “So the quiz during sixth period will be extra hard!”

“We’ll do our best,” says Nagisa.

Another figure emerges from the storage shed. It’s Irina Jelavic dressed in a vintage P.E. uniform, dazed, and flushed. Muttering and swaying from side to side till she drops to the ground. 

“Korosensei, what did you do?” Nagisa asks. Korosensei’s face turns blank, even the giant smile everyone thought was a permanent fixture was gone.

“Who knows,” he replies, “Adults have their own form of maintenance, after all.”

“That’s the face of a horrible adult!” everyone screams incredulously. 

“Does that make him a pervert?” Chihiro comments. Karma puts his hand on her head and affirms her question.

“Nyuru?!” Korosensei turns to face the two students, “Ichihara-chan, why would you ever have such a sullied opinion of me?” However, Chihiro and Karma were already on their way back to class. With a pout he too, starts to herd everyone back for sixth period. 

Behind them, Irina pushes herself up onto one elbow, vowing to get revenge.


	15. Chapter 15

It’s the next day, and once again, the words self study are written on the chalkboard. Bitch-neesan is sitting at the podium, hunched over with a tablet in her hand. The clicking of her nails is sharp and quick as she grows more and more frustrated. I sit back in my chair for a moment, pulling away from the laptop on my desk to continue watching her. Everyone else is silently watching her grumble and gripe about her loss from yesterday. I turn my attention back to the code on my laptop and begin tapping away. If she’s going to waste her class time, I might as well do something productive with mine. “Aha,” Karma gloats, “Bitch-neesan’s pretty frantic.” A noise of distaste emerges from the guy sitting next to him. “Having that sort of thing done to her must have damaged her pride.”

A few more minutes of silence pass. Then, there’s a scraping noise and the clack of heels against the wooden floor. The grow closer and closer, till a shadow is cast over me and I look up. Bitch-neesan is standing above me with something resembling a smile on her face. “Ichihara-chan, right?” She kneels down to my height and gazes at the screen. “I was wondering, how do you work on your computer if the reception here is so terrible?” 

“I have a mobile hotspot,” I say and look away. When I turn my attention back to the glowing screen Bitch-neesan pushes the lid down. Frustration is building up in my chest as I glare at the blonde lady. “It’s password protected and I won’t share it with you.” I lift the lid back up and resume tapping away at the keyboard. I can see her hand tighten into a fist as a few students giggle at her shocked expression.

“Listen, if you let me use that hotspot, I’ll give you a portion of the prize money for helping me,” she pleads. 

“I’m not going to do anything to impede the education of my classmates. As it technically is also part of my mission here too, Bitch-nee-, no, Bitch-san.” I can hear Karma chuckle beside me. Bitch-san takes a step back, as I keep glaring at her.

“I would give up if I were you, Bitch-san,” Karma teases. He leans his chin on the heel of his palm. A drop of sweat rolls down the side of her face. She then huffs and stalks back to the front of the room with her chin in the air, trying to retain the haughty air around her. The rest of the class sits silently, continuing to observe her. 

\---

“Sensei,” Isogai, the ever respectful class representative raises his hand. 

“What,” Irina nearly shouted. Her irritation is nearly tangible.

“If you aren’t going to teach, would you mind switching out with Korosensei?” A collective murmur of agreement passes through the class. “We’re taking entrance exams this year, so…” He trails off as Irina carelessly tosses her tablet onto the podium with an obnoxious clunk. 

“Hmph, you want to be taught by that vicious monster?” she spits. “Comparing the Earth’s predicament to entrance exams… How nice it must be to be a carefree kid.” A look of snobbish disdain splits her face. “Besides, the way I hear it, all of you in Class E seem to be the misfit failures of the school. Even if you start studying now, it’s all meaningless.” Her mocking words shoot through the class, almost as if she’d shot them. Even the clicking from Chihiro’s laptop stops. “I know!” she says, as if she had an epiphany. “Here’s what we’ll do.

“Once I’ve successfully completed the assassination, I’ll give you five million yen to divide amongst yourselves! Such a grand sum will be more than any of you will see in your whole lives. It’s a much more profitable plan than pointless studying.” She idly twirls a lock of her blonde hair with her pointer finger. “So just be quiet and list-”

An eraser flies through the air and hits the black board near her head, forcing the lock of hair from her grasp. A gasp fills her lungs as she returns to reality.

“Get out...” 

Irina looks around to see the 26 pairs of glowering eyes, filled with derision and scorn. 

Then, the classroom explodes into chaos. The students burst into calls for Korosensei and fling more erasers through the air. “Bring Korosensei back!”

“Get out!”

“Switch with Korosensei!

“Get out, you fucking bitch!”

“Stop wasting our time!”

“Yeah! No more big boobies!”

The shocked and surprised assassin dodges the well aimed erasers, paper balls, and insults before launching her own argument back. “What’s with this attitude?! Do you wanna die?” she threatens.

“Fine by us,” the students shout back, “Just you try it!” Irina finally manages to slip out the door, seeking safety from the enraged class. However, the only thing she finds is Karasuma pinching the bridge of his nose, and shaking his head in disapproval. 

The class finally calms down a little after Irina leaves. Everyone slowly begins to pick up the erasers and paper balls. “Maybe we should apologize to her,” Chihiro mumbles as she helps everyone clean up. 

“Yeah, even if she is a bitch, no one really deserves to be treated like that,” Rio agrees.

“We’ll apologize to her if she apologizes to us,” Maehara proclaims. “She’s the one who started this.” A low babble of agreement rises from the emotionally worn out students. When the rest of the papers are in the trash can and everyone’s erasers are back on their desks, Chihiro gazes upon their downtrodden expressions. A sense of obligation rolls over her. A ball grows within her throat, wanting to say something to refute Irina’s statement about them. The words are on the tip of her tongue, but she can’t seem to get them out. 

When Irina finally regains her composure in the faculty office, the anger inside her chest bursts. She slams her hand on her rusting desk and begins ranting. “What the heck is with these brats!” Her shrill, incredulous tone free of the consequences of her actions makes Karasuma’s head throb. “They should be grateful that they’re in the same room as such a wonderful woman as me! There might be some minor discord due to them being unwelcoming, but-”

“Enough already,” Karasuma cuts her rant off with a stern look. “Just go and give them a proper apology.” Irina looks up and the corners of her lips tilt down in dissatisfaction. “That is, if you wish to continue with the assassination.” Hearing this, Irina looks up with desperation in her eyes. 

“Why?!” she exclaims, “I don’t have any experience as a teacher! Just let me concentrate on the assassination!” Karasuma sighs and looks towards the forest surrounding the building.

“I guess there’s no helping it…” He takes a few steps towards the door and looks back at the agitated assassin. “Come with me.” The two make their way through the forest to reach a clearing. Peeking through the dense brush, the two teachers see their yellow target sitting on a wooden lawn chair with a stack of textbooks on a wooden side table. His arms are holding a clipboard, a can of grape juice, a small notebook, and a pen. Every couple of seconds, he glances at the notebook before quickly jotting something down on the clipboard. 

“What is he doing?” The bewildered blonde looks at the alien with wide eyes. 

“He’s writing test questions,” Karasuma answers with confidence. “Evidently he does this every Wednesday during sixth period.” Just moments after Karasuma’s reply, a sneeze erupts from Korosensei, causing a frantic expression to appear on his smiling face. As tears (or is that snot?) runs down his face, Korosensei crumples and tosses the ruined test away. “He’s going to redo it now.”

“What an idiot,” Irina whispers, “I mean, grape juice obviously has a high chance of leaving a stain.” With another glance at the main teacher, Irina frowns. “He’s certainly taking his time with this. He can move at mach 20, writing test questions should be a breeze.”

“Each question is different.” Hearing this, Irina looks at Karasuma in shock. “When the students found out, they were surprised too. Combining subjects they excel at with ones they need to work on. He creates all the questions for every single student individually.” Irina gazes at the yellow teacher in awe. “He is a dangerous creature with exceptional intelligence and speed who intends to destroy the Earth. And yet, he is a near perfect teacher.” 

The two make their way out of the thick forest and reach the satellite campus to see the students outside. They dart around on two sides of a badminton net, using wooden knives instead of rackets, hitting a round yellow ball instead of a shuttlecock. “Look at the students,” Karasuma points at them, leading Irina to tilt her head in confusion. It takes her a moment to say something.

“Attack!” Sugino shouts as he brings his knife down onto the yellow ball. 

“...aren’t they just playing?” Karasuma shakes his head at her feeble guess.

“That’s the “assassination badminton” I taught them. It’s training them to better hit a moving target.” The yellow ball hits the ground and cheers erupt from the winning team. “They have no experience in assassination, nonetheless, they are doing their best to aim for the reward. When they aren’t studying, they’re training rigorously to refine their skills.” Irina looks down at her feet as Karasuma keeps lecturing. 

“Target and teacher, assassin and student. Because of that monster, this bizarre classroom setting has come to pass, and everyone fulfills it’s rolls. Even Chihiro, who’s too weak to do physical work, she uses her brain to the best of her abilities to aid these endeavors.” Irina then notices the small girl tapping away at her laptop underneath the tree. “You are here primarily as a professional, but if you cannot balance being an assassin and a teacher, then you are severely lacking as a pro.

“If you intend to stay and continue targeting him, don’t look at the students with such a condescending gaze. Without the students, this assassination classroom wouldn’t be able to continue. That’s why, even though they are students and you are an assassin, we must treat them as equals. 

“If that is impossible for you, we have plenty of assassins who exist only to kill, and we will give this assignment to the next one in line.”

\---

A day later, during fourth period, the students of Class 3-E were sitting around and mingling among their peers. Steady conversations and laughter create a soft buzz about the room. Then the door opens, and Irina steps inside. The clicking of her heeled sandals prompts everyone to return to their seats, no matter how tentative some of the students were. 

The teacher pauses for a moment in front of the class, before whipping around to face the chalkboard. Irina picks up a piece of chalk, and begins writing. “ _You are incredible in bed,_ ” she says, “repeat it!” A blush erupts on Chihiro’s face as soon as she hears the bold statement. The class is stunned into silence as well. “Come on!” The blonde demands.

_“Yuu aa inkurediburu in beddo,_ ” the class echoes the statement with mediocre pronunciation and copious amounts of skepticism. 

“While I was in America assassinating a VIP, I first used my charms to get close to his bodyguard. That sentence is what he said to me. In Japanese, it means, “Beddo deno kimi wa sugoi yo.”” Blushes bloom on the faces of the rest of the class. Gazes of embarrassment and exasperation are scattered throughout the room. Irina ignores this and waves at the board with her hand. “It’s often said that the easiest way to learn a foreign language quickly and easily is to make use of a lover from that country. As you will want to understand your partner’s feelings, inevitably, you’ll grasp the meaning of their words.

“When it was necessary for my work, I learned new languages with this method,” Irina looks down at her feet for a moment before continuing. “So, in my class, I will teach you how to seduce people from other countries.

“The secret skill of learning to befriend through conversation is taught to professional assassins. If you can learn this, it will serve you well when meeting people from virtually any country.” As Irina continues to lecture, her skin grows slightly heated. “You’ll learn what you need for entrance exams from that octopus. I’m just gonna stick to teaching you guys conversational skills that will be beneficial to you in the future.” The blonde’s hands come up to lightly cross her fingers. “If, despite that, you still don’t think of me as a teacher, I’ll give up on the assassination and leave.” 

The class is still as anticipation rises. A few students glance at their neighbors, watching and waiting for something else to happen. Irina ducks her head a little at their gazes. “This way there aren’t any complaints, right? A-also, sorry, about a bunch of things…” The tense anticipation snaps as everyone bursts out laughing.

“What’s with you being all timid? Yesterday you were all, “I’m gonna kill you!!” and stuff like that.”

“Yeah, I guess she turned out to be a regular teacher after all,” Maehara sighs. 

“We can’t really call her “Bitch-neesan” anymore right?” Okano laughs. A sigh of relief escapes Irina. 

“I really got through to you all…” she murmurs. 

“Yeah, treating a teacher like that is pretty rude after all,”

“Yep, we definitely need to change how we address her.”

“So,” Karma’s sharp voice cuts through the cheerful crowd, “we’ll just use “Bitch-sensei” then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a tumblr! You can find me at ghostykittyffn.tumblr.com.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfiction I've ever published, and I haven't worked on it for over a year. But I don't really want to let it go, so, here we are. I'll try to update it on both FFN and here. So here I am, fixing it up and hopefully I can get some emotional payoff. Yeah. Leave a comment, it helps feed the monster!


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